Be Glad In The House Of The Lord

The word “worship” comes from an old English word “worthship”, meaning that God is worthy; He deserves our praise. Worship is our response to all God is and says and does. When we really believe God deserves our worship, nothing will keep us away from church. Church worship is a matter of priorities. Worship has been described as “the most urgent, the most glorious action that can take place in human life. We ought to worship God in our own houses, but that is not enough; we must go into the house of the Lord.

In worship we learn to respond to the ups and downs of life. We discover that faith means trusting in God even when life doesn’t make much sense. We understand that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

Some folk think that church is a place to be entertained if it’s enjoyable, they’ll come …but at the end of the “show”, the only applause that matters comes from God.

Why is David glad when he’s told, “Let’s go to the house of God” (vs 1)? He knows that he will find his true spiritual family there. He knows that He will learn more about how life really works; he knows he’ll gain strength for the days ahead. Nothing’s going to keep him from worship. How can we know a person’s priorities? By what that person does willingly, voluntarily.

Worship is not described here as an individual act. We do not live in isolation—we are part of something larger. Faith isn’t purely internal; it has to be lived in community. My body ought to be available to the Body of Christ! “There are two things we cannot do alone—one is to be married and the other is to be a Christian.”

There are many ways to worship God when we gather in His house; some may clap their hands, some may pat their feet. Somebody else may get up and dance, my grandmother used to say that if I couldn’t say nothing, I would just raise my hand. But you ought to show some sign.

In ancient Israel, Jerusalem was the exclusive place to worship. Jerusalem is described in vs 3 as “a city that is compacted together”. In Jerusalem the twelve tribes of Israel came together in unity.

Without worship, something is missing; we are incomplete, unfinished. We find direction and purpose for our journey when we come to the house of the Lord.

Some of us who e We ought to worship God in our own houses, but that is not enough; we must go into the house of the Lord. Some of us who even attend church regularly don’t have any enthusiasm when we come to the house of the Lord. We find our desire to go to church dropping off a bit. You ought not to want to miss the service. If you miss one week, then you want to miss two. You miss two week then you want to miss 4. Then you miss so many than you are ashamed to come back. I wonder how strong is your desire to be in the house of the Lord?

There are many folk who look and find excuses for not attending service. Things that wouldn’t keep us from going to work—keep us from going to church. Things that wouldn’t keep us from going to a movie or a ballgame keep us from going to church.

The truth of the matter is that if we are looking for a reason to stay home, we will find it. Satan will see to it because he certainly doesn’t want us in the house of the Lord.

Whatever excuse you have for not coming to church, whether you don’t like the Pastor, whether someone has hurt our feelings, whether Sis. So in-so gets on your nerves, it doesn’s excuse us in God’s eyes. When you don’t come to church, that means that you are disobeying God. Hebrews 10:25 “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as some do…”

Sometimes when we do come to church we ought to change our attitudes. Sometimes we are here in body and not here in spirit. In other words, we are here and or not here.

We ought to have a spirit of worship, a heart and a mind opened to the Holy Spirit. A heart set on worshiping an awesome God. For he said they that worship me, must worship me in spirit and in truth.

The church is the body of Christ. This is God’s time. Sometimes we leave the church and say that I didn’t get anything out of that service. The question ought to be did God get anything out of that. I hate to tell you that worship is not about you. But we come to worship that God will get the glory. You have to put something in to get something out.